The federal government of the United States agreed this Monday that at the Stonewall National Monument. Located in Greenwich Village, in Manhattan (New York), the birthplace of the fight for the rights of the LGTBI community, the flag is a powerful symbol of civil rights and defense of minorities. In this way, the Trump Administration, which was a blow against diversity policies.
That decision to ban the flag from Stonewall caused a wave of indignation and protests from activists, officials, politicians and members of civil organizations that defend the rights of the LGTBI community, who saw its removal as a violation of the rights of minorities and the homosexual community.
Several non-profit organizations representing the group, led by the foundation, argued before the federal district court in Manhattan that the removal of the flag amounted to discrimination against LGBTQ people. Additionally, they stated in their lawsuit brief that the Interior Department’s order violated a policy that allows flags to be raised on federal sites if the banners have some historical significance.
Two months after the withdrawal, the Trump Administration has agreed in court with the LGTBI+ groups that the flag fly again. “The Government has recognized what we defended from day one: the Pride flag belongs to Stonewall,” said Alexander Kristofcak, lawyer for the non-profit organizations that went to court, on Monday. Through a statement, he added: “The flag will be restored, it will fly officially and permanently, and the court will be prepared to enforce that commitment.”
The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service “have confirmed their intention to maintain a Pride flag at Stonewall,” attorneys for the government and the groups wrote in a joint court filing. The flag will not be removed, except for “maintenance or other practical purposes,” according to the document, which must still be ratified by a judge, details the AP agency.
The National Park Service must raise three flags on the flagpole of the Stonewall monument in Manhattan within a week, according to agreement documents. The Pride flag will fly between the flag of the United States and that of the National Park Service. Each one will measure 0.9 meters by 1.5 meters.
Gilbert Baker created the rainbow Pride flag as a symbol of hope and liberation. Today, that symbol returns to its rightful place,” said Charles Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, in a statement.
Following the order from the Department of the Interior to remove the LGTBI+ flag from Stonewall, several hundred people came the next day to place it, contravening the government mandate. On February 9, neighbors realized that the banner had disappeared from the space, declared a United States National Monument in 2016 by then-president Barack Obama.
Crusade against diversity
The banner had been removed following the guidelines of a memorandum, promoted by the Trump Administration, to “guide on policies and procedures for the display and raising of flags and banners” in the spaces managed by the National Park Service, responsible for national monuments. That document established that official places can only display the flag of the United States, that of the Department of the Interior and some exceptions, such as historical flags or those related to Native American tribes.
Stonewall is a historic place not only for New York or the United States, but for the entire planet. On June 28, 1969, a police raid was carried out at the Stonewall Inn, a nightclub in the area, which was responded to by a large citizen protest lasting several days and which ended up giving rise to the LGTBIQ+ struggle. Since then, June 28, the day on which the police raid took place, has been International Pride Day.
Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has targeted the . One of the attack strategies has been to promote the erasure of sexual and gender diversity. Thus, in February of last year, any mention of the trans and queer disappeared from Stonewall and the site in which its history is explained.
Throughout 2025, Trump has signed 12 executive orders that erode LGTBIQ+ rights. For their part, the Republicans, the party to which Trump belongs, have promoted 104 federal legislative proposals and more than a thousand state bills that curtail collective rights.
These measures range from the veto of trans people in sports; refusal to recognize their identity in official documents; pressure to eliminate workplace initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); the closure of the suicide hotline for LGTBIQ+ people; the prohibition of gender-affirming treatments for minors; either .
